Episode 41

Gilbert talks about his five favorite movies of 2025. 

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Alright, and uh welcome to the podcast, everybody, for the uh well first of all, happy New Year's to everybody. Um, even though I'm actually recording this a few days before New Year's, but still happy New Year's. Uh I'm gonna do something I don't do, and again it's normally because like I never have time or can ever be consistent when it comes to the podcast, but um, I'm gonna try to do something that I've been trying to do since day one. Um just never had a chance to do. So I'm gonna do top five favorite films of 2025. Um, I mean I could have done a top ten. I just I don't think I've seen enough movies to actually make a top ten. And if and if I did then it would just be the um by default. Um basically because I haven't seen a lot of movies this year. I might have seen 10, 10 good ones, but again, by default, it would only have to be those ten. I feel like I wish I'd seen a more broader uh amount of films than what I seen this year. Um so I had to like watch a couple of films that I've missed throughout um the year that uh made it made its way to the streaming service, and some of them uh were really good. And then um one of them that uh actually made it to the top uh the top five, I kind of wish I saw in theaters. Um well two of the films that are in the top five, um, I I did see on the streaming platform, and then the other three I uh I saw in theaters, and um yeah, uh my number one I mainly saw in theaters. There's why I say mainly is because I think people watch this movie on the streaming platform when I'm in the room or something. But I mean I could have watched it with him, but I feel like I would have overused uh the amount of times I would have watched my number one. Um, but uh I'll um I'll definitely get to uh what will be uh my number one. But um I I do want to talk about give it at least a couple of honorable mentions because at least with these honorable mentions I would have put in as a top ten, even if you know they would have been in a top ten if I chose to do a top ten, but it's not a top ten, it's a top five. One of the honorable mentions um I know some people are not gonna like, um, but that that's this thing about top, you know, favorite films of the year or in general, is that it's all opinionated, it's never factual, and it's just basically like everybody agrees or disagrees on what could be like the best film of the year, best film of the decade or of all time. Um, but mostly this is basically um my favorite of um like what were the films that I really really loved this year? Um, the top five films. What what is um the one thing that would make it to my personal top five? This isn't like um this isn't um like I'm agreeing with every other um platform that says like this is the best film of the year and stuff like that. This is just my personal opinion. Um here are gonna be my honorable mentions. Um I'll give it like a brief like thoughts about them during um when I'm mentioning them, and then one of the honorable mentions I'm definitely gonna give a deep dive into um as to why it's in the honorable mention, probably in the top 10, like from around 6 to 10. If I did a 6 to 10 rank, it's somewhere, it could be around 7 or 6th place for me. But some of my honorable mentions I'm gonna give are um Zootopia 2. Uh, I like Zootopia 2. Um, I didn't think it was in my personal opinion, I didn't better than the first movie. That doesn't mean like the storyline and the concept and all that was wasn't good, it was actually really, really good. Um, and then you get more dynamics of like Judy Hop and uh Nick. Wow. Yeah, and then you know you have you know a very a lot of good callback references in um Zootopia 2, obviously the big one being The Shiny, which stood out to everybody the most. Yeah, uh I really enjoyed uh Zootopia 2 Frankenstein. Um Frankenstein I also enjoyed. I didn't love Frankenstein as much as I wanted to. Guillermo do Toro is literally all over this film, and um it shows and uh the performances specifically of Jake Jacob Alordi. I really hope he gets an Oscar nomination for this one. It's a tough category. It's between I think supposedly between him and Adam Sandler for um what is it? What's that movie called? Jake Kelly. I haven't seen Jake Kelly. I might I uh I might watch it uh eventually, but um uh but it's it's between him and Sandler Sandler, Jacob Alordi. The effects are really cool, the makeup, the costume design, the set decoration. Like I I can see this winning the production design Oscar and maybe the costume design Oscar wins. Um uh I don't see as much as I like this uh movie, I don't see G Guillermo do Toro like for sure getting a best director nomination, even though like some of the early like um what is it precursors to the Oscars are giving him the best director nominations. You you never know as the academy. They could snub him. He probably can. It's just like it wouldn't it wouldn't affect me if uh he didn't get the best director nomination. He already has a win uh for the shape of water. We he has two wins for the shape of water and as well as for um Pinocchio, which a lot of people forget about. Um but yeah, Frankenstein is a r is is one of the honorable mentions there. Uh Companion, which in the beginning I thought that was uh Zack Krager's next film because the marketing was um from the creators of Barbarian. Um, but no, uh Companion. I saw Companion twice, first in theaters and then um what was the other one? And then I saw it on Max. Um I mean the the directing and the screenwriting and the performances of um I I forgot Sophie Turner. Not is it Sophie Turner? Or no, Sophie Thatcher, that's who who it is. Um that was uh that was a great performance from her, and then you know, uh I almost said Randy Quaid, that's that's his uncle, but Jack Quaid um really makes a good performance as a villain, or just oh man, I wouldn't even say a villain. Like he like he is a villain, but he's a he he's a pet he's a petty villain. That's what I was gonna say. He's a very petty uh villain. Um but yeah, uh companions also in my uh honorable mention. Um what else is in my honorable mention? Uh Thunderbolts, uh, I like Thunderbolts. I kind of talked about a little bit um around the beginning of the season. Um it was a really good superhero film. Uh Thunderbolts is in my honorable mention, and now let's get to the one that's gonna upset some folks. But the other film that's gonna be in my honorable mention is um it's a one battle after another. I kind of mentioned it in the past, like in one recent episode, but um I didn't love one battle after another as a lot of y'all did. And um, and that's mostly because of like too much of the politics in the film. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of things that are really great. There are like a lot of things that are actually like very standout. The directing is very uh stands out, the cinematography, the score. Um, what was it? Um Sean Penn's performance was very captivating. And I mean, yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if he wins the Oscar for best director. I mean not best director, best supporting actor. But also PTA might win his first PTA that stands for Paul Thomas Anderson, for those that don't know. Um but yeah, it looks like Paul Thomas Anderson's gonna win his first Oscar for director. Um, which I would say well deserved. Well, I wouldn't say well deserved. I mean he he's he's been overdue. He's been he hasn't gotten an Oscar at all. He's been nominated multiple times, he's just never won. The only film I wish he won for was and that would probably just be for screenplay, was um There Will Be Blood, but that was the same year as um uh No Country for Old Man that won all well that won the big Oscars for best uh director, picture, supporting actor, and screenplay. But um I w I wouldn't mind if at that time, I mean I haven't like seen the Oscars at that time, but if uh if PTA had beaten out the Cohen brothers for best uh adapted screenplay uh for Derribe Blood, then you know, yeah, I would have preferred that, but then I kind of also wish he was nominated for best uh original screenplay for the master. I really love the master. That's actually my favorite film of his. But yeah, no, uh, one battle after another is just uh it's not the movie for me. Like I said, there's a lot of good elements about that. I was just not on the hype train as everybody else, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the movie, I really enjoyed it. It's just when I see all the other films that came out this year. Um, and I know like it's the like one battle after another stood out to a lot of y'all, and that's not denying it, because I know a lot of people really loved it. I just unfortunately I'm not one of those people. So um, yeah, if it if it was a top 10, one battle after another would have been in sixth or seventh place for me. Um, no doubt it's gonna win any, and no doubt it's not gonna win any of like the big, you know, big big uh um awards for the Academy Awards for like picture director and stuff like that. I'm conflicted, and I'm gonna tell you why when I get to my number one, but um, yeah, pretty much like where I'm at was one battle after another. Um, but yeah, uh that's pretty much what it what I have for my honorable mentions. I'm gonna go on break real quick and then I'm gonna get to my top five. So we're gonna go on break. Welcome back. Uh one night one honorable mention I forgot to talk about was uh Final Destination Bulletlines. Um, yeah, that was just like I know I kind of gave it a number one spot when I talked about like films I saw over the summer. That's just for nostalgia reasons, because of Tony Todd. I met Tony Todd, like I mentioned in the past. Um I talked about it uh meeting him I would say a week before uh he passed away on one of my podcasts. Um, which is why like if you if you ever go back to la the earlier last seasons, I recorded those before he passed away. And so when I saw, you know, I went to go watch it um just because it was Tony Todd's last outing. But you know, the storyline and the character dynamics, um, yeah, um, that's pretty much it. Um definitely one of my favorite uh Final Destination movies. And no, now that that's it with uh his character, it's like I mean, at least I hope that's it. There's no way they can continue adding on with prequels involving um William Bloodworth. You know, it it can't it won't be the same without Tony Todd, just saying, but um yeah, those are those are my my honorable mentions. Some that didn't even make it to the uh top five. I mean, yeah. So anyway, I'm gonna get to my top five now, and coming in at fifth place is going to be K-pop demon hunters. Now, for a guy that um doesn't like K-pop music at all, like I I I actually can't stand K-pop music. Um, my sisters and my mother, they they really liked uh K-pop. They've gone to see BTS and C17, um Straight Kids, I think that's another one of them. They they've seen a bunch of them, okay. Um, I have not, and I kind of choose not to. Um, so I was a bit hesitant to even watch the movie when it first came out. Again, was not a big uh K-pop guy. Um I still I'm still not after watching the movie, but uh Christmas break came, so I was like, you know what? I'm gonna I'm gonna watch it just because I wanna see what the hype is about. Boy, oh boy, I kind of wish I saw I kind of watched it when it first came out because like again, not a big K-pop guy. I'm also not a big anime guy either. Um, I'm more of like different kinds of like animated films and stuff like that, but this is so different, and the storyline is really, really great. Um, the characters are so likable, and then you know, there's the one character I think his name was uh man. So let me go back to who the characters were because I forgot the the characters' names. Let's see, I keep forgetting the name. Nope, not this one. Anyway, as I as I'm looking for it, um the animation's great, um, the storyline is incredible, like the music, again, not a big uh K pop guy, but some of the music is actually really, really great, especially almost towards the end. Yes, Godin does get uh stuck in your head. One thing I've learned from a guy named Luke Cartfield, who is a uh he's a British uh film reviewer, I guess you can call him, um, on YouTube. You should go check him out, who's also very into the big Oscar world. Um, he said, Never seen Godin at uh karaoke because um what's the word? Uh you're gonna embarrass yourself because those notes go extremely high. But um, yeah, here it is. Jinu is a very one of those complicated villains, even though he's not um he's not a villain villain, you know, you know what I mean? His his backstory and his his story arc, him and I who is it Rumi's him and Rumi's story arc are so they work well like you get like whoever wrote the movie knew what they were writing because it's like in a in a world where like um in a world where someone would tell you, hey, I'm gonna make a I'm gonna make an animated movie about K-pop stars that are demon slayers, um, yeah, that that wouldn't fly well to a lot of studios, but um it took time for studios to be like, yeah, let's let's grow assist. And um, yeah, uh good thing it it was all on Netflix, but now theatrical experience would have been a lot, I would say a lot better. But um, I mean, I didn't even know it had a theatrical uh release. The reason how I found out about the theatrical releases or the it was the short-time theatrical release or the limited time uh theatrical release was because this movie um um and it just got it got the Golden Globe uh nomination for um Best Box Office Achievement, which is a category I don't get why they have. They also the Hollywood Forum Press, who was in charge of the Golden Globes, decided to have a best podcast uh category. Hypocritical, but I mean like why would you have a podcast, you know, category and uh it's like best box off and achievement, and best podcasts are just a non necessary award uh category for the golden globes, but that's just me. But um, yeah, no, the the story arcs are great. Um the villain is very disturbing. Um, I mean, like I mean like I said, not a big K-pop guy, but then when the when like the intros happen, I was like, okay, I think I'm starting to get sold, and I lean to it a lot more and more. I mean, the um I mean like there's so much at stake. You get what I mean? Like it's not the fact that they're like K there's a reason why they're called K-pop. They it it's a K-pop group. One, it's very popular in Korea, and two, it's basically like within, I guess, a Korean folklore. Um, I haven't done too big deep into it, but it's also like if it's like the power of women that controls the what was it, the Hundu or whatever it was that shields the shields the world from like the demonic forces with the the power of their music, it makes sense with modern time. That's that's a thing about the writing I liked is that it kept with like the the time, so it's like if it was uh no 70s Korean group, that could have been like I don't know if there was disco in Korea during the 70s, but it could have been that. Again, it just it just depends. Um and you know, it was it always gets sappy with the power of friendship, you know, kind of deal. Same thing was was why like Thunder Post hasn't made it to the top five. It's something because of that, but in all honesty, I mean like this one actually worked well. Um and like against uh Sunju, who's uh the way his arc came to a conclusion saying, like, you know, you restored my soul because you know, like his story was he abandoned his family for fame and he suffered the consequences for it, and he wanted to forget about the pain he caused. But in the end, he's like you know, the human in him still stood out. Um, and I would say, man, that that drag that dragged me, that really dragged me into the movie a lot more and more. Um, there might be a second film, I don't know. I s I do see that happening, but for best animated future, that's that's in the bag. I think K-pop demon hunter is gonna win, and deservedly so. Um, but yeah, that's that's uh my number five is K-pop Demon Hunter. I'm gonna go to my number four, my number four, and I juggle with this back and forth for my number four and my number three spot. But for now, my number four spot is F1, mostly because I just saw that not too long ago. My only bad thing about F1, I'll say, is that I didn't get to see it in theaters. And if I did, it would have been my number one um summer film. It would have been. Um, but anyway, um, what can I say about F1? First of all, uh, shame on you, watch Mojo for not even including it in your top 20 best films and like not even top 20. Is it was it in 21st place? Because if it was, there's something wrong with y'all. Because F1 is a really great film. Um, and yeah, uh, first of all, the directing. I didn't know the same director for this film was the same director for Top Gun, uh, Top Gun Maverick, um, which I have still haven't seen. Um, not even the original. But I'm pretty sure what people told me is if you watch Top Gun Maverick, you get the same feeling as that was from F1. And um, because as far as I know, Top Gun Maverick really puts you into the seats of um the airmen, and that's the same thing here in F1, where it really puts you in the seats of the people that are driving these race cars. I would say, I would say this is my favorite race car film of all time, and that's not saying much because I don't really like race car films, um, mostly because I don't really like race car you know events at all. Like not NASCAR or the ND500 or the Formula One, which is where the um is the type of race the movie takes place. Um, but yeah, the um first of all the acting from Brad Pitt, I love um the acting the acting from uh who is it? Give me a second. Give me a second. Okay, the act the acting from Damson Adris was also really, really cool. Um, I know when Oscar season comes, because it's um this movie is gonna I hope this movie at least gets a good technical nomination, but the most I know it's not gonna get best picture, best director, and stuff like that. I know the academy at this point. I know what they would nominate and they would not nominate for best picture director and stuff like that. Because most like non-best picture nominated films can get up to four or five nominations um that don't include best picture. Um, the most four. All right. Some films I think some films have gotten five. I know the Dark Knight got eight nominations, all technical categories, and not even a best picture or best director nomination for Nolan. But um, yeah. But I mean the cinematography is really, really good. Again, it puts you at the seat of um of uh who who are who was it? It was uh Sonny Hayes and uh J Jacob Pierce or Jose Joseph Pierce. No, who was it? Joshua Pierce, there you go. Putting you in the seat of uh Sonny Hayes and uh Joshua Pierce, the characters that were played by Brad Pitt and uh Damsin A Dams in Idris. I couldn't I I have a hard time pronouncing that name, but it it was really, really cool, and I see like the physicality of what race car drivers have to go through. Um and it's a lot of mental game. I've been developing a lot of like claustrophobia within my sin like the last year, and uh I couldn't imagine like having a because these those suits, those race car suits look heavy, and I'm pretty sure they are heavy, then combined with a helmet, and then combined that you're in a tight spot in a race car. And apparently those race cars, you really have to have full control and strength of the wheel because you're going hundreds of miles an hour and they're built differently. So I guess all I can say is that I'm eating my worries when I say NASCAR or the ND500 or any race car event isn't a real sport. I'm eating my worries because I think it is a real sport. But yeah, the film editing is great. I mean, if it if it was to win any Oscars, film editing's definitely gotta be the the winner. Um I I'm torn, the reason being is because like my next uh my uh next uh favorite film after this one when I go on break um might also have a chance of winning best film editing. Um assuming one battle after another doesn't take uh the win. But um, yeah, the film editing is great. And if not the film editing, then maybe the score, but that's a high hope. Score is phenomenal. Um, it definitely is. Um Han Zimmer, I really hope, uh gets nominated for best score. Uh if he wins, that would be great, but I I don't I don't know because we're it would be up against uh Sinners and um one battle after another, which both have been winning their their music uh categories and a lot of critics prizes and stuff like that. So again, guys, remember I'm recording this like before the the Golden Globes and stuff like that. So the Oscar nominations haven't come out yet. So if people are listening to this past Oscar nominations, just remember I'm recording this before um awards seasons even started. But I really really hope that it gets his something. And then the other category I would actually see it get is best sound. The sound is also phenomenal. I mean, it's like again, like how like people communicate with each other through intercolumns and stuff like that, through uh I wouldn't say telephones, like headphones and stuff like that. Like that sound, that's how it really, really sounds. And it could sound a little bit fink because remember, uh, I uh I mean, like I said, you're in the seat of the race car, so assuming that you're going thousands thousands of miles an hour, stuff like that, it's gonna probably gonna get loud. You get what I mean? Like it's probably gonna it probably does get loud. If anybody does like do race car driving, um, can you actually confirm how loud it can actually get in a race car? I can imagine like all that could just be really really loud in there. Um, but yeah, uh sound is definitely there. So cinematography, sound, score, film editing, uh, yeah, all of that could could happen. I mean the mo I mean at least give it the give it editing, sound and score. You get what I mean? Cinematography would be a really really great. Um that's about yeah. I mean, it wouldn't be too far off because like you know, Top Gun Maverick won best sound. And I'm assuming it's the same sound designers that are in F1 that did uh Top Gun Maverick. But um, yeah, no, I I uh F1 was such a great experience. Um I wish I saw that in the theaters. I honestly do because I think I would have had a lot more fun or experience. I mean, just like seeing that on the big screen, seeing an IMAX would have been like major, you get what I mean? I I really again I I wish I saw it in theaters. Guys, this was that's my biggest regret not seeing it in theaters, but my budget wouldn't let me. Um, yeah. Uh it it it was great. Um well after I watched it, I um I was watching um these uh I was watching um the media nights. If y'all don't know what the media nights are, they're a couple that um that watches movies. Like that's pretty much like we um people who watch movies and they react to it for the first time, you know. Um when I saw them watching it, they knew a lot about Formula One and race car driving because um I did not know this. Um they apparently grew up in Europe. Um Zari and Denise, those are the two those are the couples. Um and but I I heard they grew up in Europe. I was like, oh really? Wow, I did not know that. Um so they knew a lot about race car driving, but like it's like that teness, you get what I mean? The tense, the uh that feeling you get where like can you even breathe for a moment? You get what I mean? Like what really drew me was um when uh JP, uh what that that's what um Joshua Pierce is called in the movie JP by uh by Sonny Hayes, um when he gets into that accident, that's when I'm like jaw dropped, like, oh my gosh, like this movie's just it's just getting you, man. And then more and more and more unfold, and you're like, man, like the at the end of the movie you just get a sigh of relief when um Sonny Hayes passes through that finish line. It's like oh gosh, like you can breathe. You get what I mean? Because believe it or not, like you you expected JP to actually win. Because even in the beginning, you're probably like like Sonny's gonna win. Um, because that's how most of these films are, and at the end, you kind of like tell it to yourself that JP is gonna win it all, and Sonny is gonna be happy because all he cares about is getting the team, not him specifically, getting the team to win, whether if it was him or JP crossing that finish line. And he wanted JP to cross that that finish line, but JP, you know, taught a sacrifice and it says, the moment is yours, uh Sonny, go for it. Um, but yeah, man, Brad Pefford, guy in his 60s, like he's in the 60s, him and Tom Cruise are in their 60s. Man, he's still good looking with a six-pack and everything. I'm not I'm not gonna lie. All right, um, yeah. So Academy, you gotta give this film some good nominations. And if you you know, I wouldn't mind if y'all gave it a win. Sound will be perfect, score would be exceptional, and if you gave it best picture, you know, maybe I don't know how to bribe folks, but yeah, give it some best picture. But you know, I I don't know if it can. I'll be surprised if it did. But a best picture, I mean not best picture, but a best sound win would be phenomenal. I am I'm not holding my breath on it, it might just get three or four nominations and no wins. That's that tends to be the case with certain films, but um, because it's really, really rare for non-best picture contending movies uh to win the Oscar against films that are in the best picture race. So if it's like you know, if for best sound it really really has to, you know, pull a Hail Mary, which is funny because that's uh line in the in the movie, to pull a Hail Mary to beat out like whatever movies would get nominated for best sound, so probably like um one battle after another, which probably could take the win. Even Sinners could probably uh get nominated for that, but who knows where it goes from there. But yeah, uh just to uh I I forgot what the word is, but just to jock your memory, um K-pop demon hunter number five, F1 number four, and we're gonna go on break. Alright, guys, uh welcome back. Now we're gonna talk about my number three and my number two spots in my top five favorite films of 2025. Alright, so what is in my uh my third spot? My third spot is a movie I also did see recently, and um I really want to watch this movie again because it gave me chills. And that movie is Marty Supreme. Um, I have yet to see the other Safti movie, uh, which was um The Smashing Machine. But uh, for those that don't know, uh the Safty brothers, Benny and Josh uh Safty, they direct movies together. Not in the beginning, but uh eventually in their career, they they directed a couple of movies together. Uh the most recent from them was Uncut Gems with Adam Sandler. Um, which if you haven't seen Uncut Gems, be prepared because that's that's tense right there. Like it there's a lot of teneness, and that carries out in Marty Supreme. I haven't seen the Smashing Machine, so I don't know if that teneness is in there, but I I don't think it is. But and then again, I think it's like either Benny's or Josh's like uh first biographical film. It just depends. Um, but Marty Supreme, um man, maybe Josh Safety will get the best director nomination because it was really, really good and I enjoyed it. It's like you're like on the edge of your seat. Because I remember when I saw Uncut Gems. When I saw Uncut Gems, I was so stressed out. Again, if you haven't seen it, go check it out. Um, but it's stressful. Um because when one character does something, it just creates this domino effect that gets worse and worse and worse, and you just don't have a moment to breathe. And even when you do have moments to breathe, you're not really having a time breathing either. Um, so first things first, Timothy Chalamet, he's coming for his Oscar. He's already been nominated twice uh for Call Me by Your Name, and then recently was um, oh man, what is it called? A complete unknown, which I had seen uh I think back in the summer. Um, but uh or maybe uh after summer, I don't remember, but I did I do remember seeing that uh not too long ago. But yeah, uh uh Timmy's coming for that Oscar. Apparently he's under some controversy. I looked at what the things he's been saying and stuff like that. I don't think it's controversial. He's just basically saying like this is his best film that he's done. Like uh maybe maybe he does have some egos, probably that. But I don't think what he what he's been saying and stuff is controversial controversial. I mean it's not like Carlo Sophia Gascon what happened to her this year. Um I mean, then again, this then again this was stuff that she said uh like in the past when I I guess like when it was uh a guy when she was a he at the at one point, but um Timothy Chalamet, it he he's gonna win, he's gonna win his Oscar. Um and if he doesn't win, I at least he should get nominated. Um, but it his performance, his performance is so great. Uh just because like he just the character has this ego of like I wanna be the best. I almost did the Pokemon theme song. That's pretty much what it is. It's like I want to be the very best that no one ever can. Because all that stress doesn't happen until like I would say like after the first 40 minutes of the movie. Because within the first like 40 minutes of the movie, he's just like show it's all basically character introduction, what he likes to do, which is play tennis or not tennis, table tennis, but ping pong is what it's called. Um, and then like eventually you just like see like how shit hits the fan pretty much. Um how like we he in the movie he gets this girl pregnant, um, and when he comes back from London from competing for uh was tape in a table tennis tournament, which he came in second, um he he sees that this married woman that he's been seeing uh got pregnant and he's denying like that's not my kid, that's not my kid. You get what I mean? And and it's just stuff like he's trying to avoid talking to his family from his mom that was played by Fran Dresser, which man, Fran Dresher doing a dramatic role. That is very interesting, and just like the way she performs it too, it's very minimal, like it's like maybe three minutes of screen time, maybe three minutes of screen time, um, but still a great performance. I mean, she's she's known for doing comedies. Fran Dressher did the nanny um many years ago. I think that's how she actually got her start start. Um, and then uh I can't pronounce her full name, Odessa Avion or something like that. Uh she did pretty well as well. Good. Um, but no, everybody did pretty good in this film. Obviously, Timothy was the the big standout. Um, he was there pretty much 95% of the movie. The only times I've ever seen him that's like that he's not on screen, it's like um when ah man, I forgot. Like, I would say when the girlfriend is uh confronting her husband that uh she's pregn she's not pregnant with his child, it's um Marty's child, and then this and then when she's also trying to confront this dude that uh Marty's uh accidentally I wouldn't say stole his dog, but like if you've seen the movie you get what I mean. And that that scene with the dog, dude, that's just like gets to you because there's just so much you don't expect from um you don't expect in this film. You expect you expect something to like pop out. You get what I mean? You expect something that's just gonna not make you feel good, and it just like overly expects your expect what's the word I'm looking for? It surpasses your expectation in a good way. And like I said, it you hardly breathe, and the moments you can breathe, it just you're just not breathing. And um, yeah, uh the story, the the screenwriting is good, the story is great, you know, it's about being egos and stuff like that. And Marty just comes off as a douchebag, like he's not likable. And I think that is the thing with like a lot of Softy Brother um films, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure like that's mostly like their main characters. Like when I saw um Adam Sandler's character in Uncut Gems, I was like, dude, this guy is like pretty unlikable, but you're also rooting for him because like he's in this dangerous situation. I mean, luckily for all of us uh like if we've seen Marty Supreme, it doesn't end like how Uncut Gems uh ends because uncut gems, dude. My what my friend Mo would say is that's the biggest F you anybody's ever gotten. If you've seen Uncut Gems, um it just leaves on a happy note, you know, and like the the ending of like it made it all of this same thing with F1 by the way. It makes you feel like it's an actual sporting event, then like um like it makes you feel like an actual sporting event, then it's a movie. You get what I mean? Like that's what I'm trying to say. It's like you're watching this on like ESPN on a big screen, and I'm always like, why is it like the like the big sport movies like basketball movies, baseball movies, um maybe soccer, but football movies. I'm never really attracted to those kinds of movies, but the lesser like known sporting films like race car driving and uh ping pong or table tennis, why am I attracted to those? Maybe it's because they're not really like you know, people don't see them as sports, I guess you can say. I mean, have you seen the way like um the Asians play it in the Olympics? They're like 20 feet away from the from the the table and they're still making those hits, um, which is pretty much what's shown in Marty Supreme. I mean the ending. Um, when he wants that rematch with um Endo, I think that's what his name is. That that was very um oh man, that's that was that was very like that that was like you're rooting for Marty, you get what I mean? Even though you know what the outcome is because he kind of ruined his chances to ever get back to the US and stuff like that. But he just like you're just rooting for him to win at least because that's what he wants. He wants to win. And uh yeah, I don't think Endo's very uh I don't think uh Japan's gonna love Indo anymore after that um or after that loss for him because like for okay, for a competit uh man, what's the word I'm looking for? For a competitor that uh is beating out somebody in their okay, hold on, let me try to say this for someone for a competitor in a s in like a one-on-one sporting event like wrestling, uh ping pong, boxing, when you're fighting someone and they beat you on your own turf in front of your entire country, that's not a good look on you. But I mean who knows? Because even Marty says like I hope you win, or good luck with this, uh the next table tennis tournament. It does give you on emotional level. I mean it gets you on an emotional level, is what I meant to say. Especially like again, the last maybe like the last 10 minutes, like after the the match is over and he sees his son for the first time. It's like dang, okay, yeah. Uh, but the editing is also great, which is why I said like film editing, this movie could win it. Again, assuming one battle after another doesn't take it, Marty Supreme could win best film editing. Timothy Shatamate, I mean, again, probably might win the the Oscar for Best Actor, because I think uh I think he know that I mean I have to see some of the other like films that could qualify the best uh actor award. Again, the Oscar nominations haven't happened yet, but that doesn't mean like Timothy Chalamet, no doubt's not gonna get nominated. He's gonna get that nomination and he's gonna win. But let's see how like the Golden Globe uh goes and stuff like that. But Marty Supreme, my number three. Number two, and this was also number two when I did my um like my favorite kind of summer films, but after re-watching some evaluations without nostalgia, number two is weapons. Weapons is also another great uh horror film. Um um some of my favorite films this year were horror films. Like if it was that, weapons would still be my number two favorite horror film, number three favorite horror film, obviously Final Destination Bloodlines, and uh Together. Together I saw I mentioned Together in the what was it in the um what's the word I'm looking for? Honorable mention, but together is an honorable mention. It's a really great film. I mentioned it in the past, but weapons, I loved. Um, I've been open and honest about um how I felt about Barbarian. Um, I've never really liked Barbarian. I know a lot of people did, and you know, I'm just not one of them. I understand it. Like the filmmaking and the writing aspect of it, I uh I respect from Zack Krager, which is I mean, like I said, I thought uh Companion was Zack Krager's next film, but he's just I think one of the producers and stuff like that. I think he's just one of the producers, but um weapons, uh I I love the I love the storyline, the filmmaking of all of it more, especially like the um not a social commentary, it's more like a biographical, semi-biographical film for Zack Krager. Um, and I'll explain it, but yeah, no, like I would have loved barbarians. It's just that when you get to the to the mother character, I can't stand, you know, inbred incest stuff, and like her, it was hard to look at. And it was just so much, like so much of that I just couldn't stand by. And that's why I just couldn't I couldn't stand those barbarians, just because of that. Um, even though yes, it does have some creativeness and some great storytelling and some great directing, but sometimes certain things can just draw me away from the film. This one does not. Weapons draws me a lot closer. And um, first of all, Amy Madigan, I hope gets one, I hope she gets the Oscar nomination, which no doubt she will, or no doubt she won't. And if she does, I'm pretty sure she's winning that. She's winning that Oscar, alright? Uh, horror's been making a comeback at the Oscars uh within the last year. Um, that's why I'm gonna mention another one pretty soon. But um, Amy Madigan, I hope, gets that Oscar win. Uh, who knows? Um, again, it's too early to tell. None of the precursors have happened yet when I'm recording this. Um, this will be out before the Golden Globes uh ever gets released, or before the Golden Globes happen, but I'm pretty sure Amy Madigan's winning. Um, she's very like haunting in the movie and like very despicable. It's like if um it's like I feel like like if Sean Penn and Amy Madigan win the supporting categories, it's pretty much gonna be like um, what is it? Like the best supporting winners are like the villains, which I don't mind. I mean I I like the best supporting acting categories a lot more than the lead acting categories. Like like some of my favorite performances won those awards, like uh Monique and J.K. Simmons and um Heath Ledger, Javier Bardem. Who else got the best supporting actress win? Um, and this is hard. Maybe I do like the supporting actor wins, but I know Monique was uh a great win. Oh man. I'm trying to think who else was a really good and Hashaway. I actually I also enjoy so that uh Lupita Niangle. But yeah, um Amy Manigan might so far might be my if she wins, she would be my like my number one favorite uh supporting actress win of the decade so far. But everything's too soon to tell, and I don't want to jinx it too much by talking about it. But the reason why I started getting closer to weapons is because um uh you know, not everything has a meaning, and even Zach Krager mentioned it, which is why I I kind of liked it. Because I like I said, not everything needs a meaning of stuff like that. The one thing and what I mean by a semi-biographical film, the one thing I do love about weapons was um Zach Gregor has talked about how um when he was little, when his father got introduced to alcohol and started becoming an alcoholic, it changed his life. It's pretty much like the little boy Alex when so Aunt Agnes, the character of Aunt Agnes is supposed to be a reference to alcohol, all right. So when alcohol is first introduced into the family, his parents that were there are no longer there, you know, they're controlled by Aunt Agnes as Zach Krager's parents, specifically his dad, was controlled by alcohol. And at whatever age he was, probably like eight years old, he had to learn how to be an adult, like like actually feed and cook for himself. And that's why I I was drawn to weapons a lot more is that he put something of him in there, which is what I appreciate from a director. And like I said, like I love it when a film like none of these films are very, very political. Like maybe maybe the let uh my cut my upcoming uh number one, but they're not really like political, political, or at least like any politics or whatever, they're just basically like storytelling, which is why they're my number my top five. Same thing with um, you know, uh weapons. I mean, like it is basically like you know, when a kid is affected by something that just it's like he goes to school and everything seems fine in front of the teacher, even though he's trying to hide something. And then when he goes home, it's so dark and bleak, you know, and then like you know, a lot of people were thrown off by like the storytelling of like it goes from who who was it? I forgot the the teacher's name, but it goes from the teacher to Archer, which is one of the dads like by Josh Brolin, to Paul. You get what I mean? Like all how all these stories connect. It's almost like you know, like reservoir dogs. Um, if you've seen reservoir dogs, um, how everything got there and how like a community, you know, becomes savage when you know something happens and they just want to put the blame on somebody when internally there's something in them that they blame themselves internally, but they want to put the blame on somebody else. And you know, the teacher was an easier target. There was so much layers to weapons I enjoyed again a lot more than barbarians, and yeah, I mean Zach Krager, I hope, gets the best original screenplay nomination. He's probably not gonna win. Um, that would be a surprise, but everything I really loved about weapons, but yeah, uh weapons my number two spot, and I'll be back when I talk about my number one. Alright, I'm back. Here is my number one spot, my number one favorite film of 2025, and I am pretty sure this is nobody's surprise, but my number one spot is Sinners. I know, I know to a lot of people Sinners is overrated. Well, I think one battle after another is overrated, so piss off. Because this is my favorite film of 2025, not yours. Okay, but Sinners I love. I love Sinners. Um, I know that uh so something that that's just a selfish me uh selfish thing for me to say, okay, so I want PTA to win an Oscar. And if he wins for one battle after another, I wouldn't, you know, I wouldn't be upset about it. Um, because he's been long overdue. But deep, deep, deep in like down inside, I want Ryan Kugler to win best director. And it's not because like I really, really love the movie, which I do, I love this film. I'm gonna get more in depth into it. The reason being is because it'll be 98 years of the Academy Awards, and a black filmmaker has not won Best Director. Within 98 years, majority of it, yes, was all white guys. And I I'm not trying to talk like a liberal person, stuff like that. Like I said, I'm not a very political person, but within the 98 years of the Academy Awards, yes, majority of them were uh white folks, men and women. Um, even though it's I believe it was only just two white women, Catherine Bigelow, who was the first woman to ever win the Oscar, and um Jane Campion for the power of the dogs, um, yeah, we've had majority, yeah, my white folks, uh three women, which along with Chloe Zhao, who was the second woman, she's also one of I believe four Asians to yeah, four Asians to win best director. Because it was Aang Lee, um, who won for Brokeback Mountain, and as well as The Life of Pai, and um uh Bang Jun-ho, which uh who won again who won for Parasite, Chloe Zhao, which won next year, as I mentioned, she's also the third second woman to win best uh director, and then one of the Daniels, Daniel Kwan, I believe, who won for Everything Everywhere All at Once. We've had three Mexicans win um best director, and they're all friends Alfonso Quaron, Guillermo del Toro, and uh Alejandro Enarito. And then I believe we've had some LGBT uh Q directors win best uh director. I'm pretty sure some of the we've also had a few Jewish people like Steven Spielberg's Jewish, they've won Best Director. Um, and yeah, we've had one French winner for Best Director, which was um Michel Hazanovicius for the artist. To my point being, we've never had a black person ever won the best director award. I mean, the one that could have came close was Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave, but that was the year of Alphonse Quaron for Gravity. And maybe if Gravity came out a different year instead of 2013 for 12 years a slave to get now to win Best Picture, it could have won Best Director. Steve McQueen could have been the first black filmmaker twin. But so far we've had um John Turtletump for Boys in the Hood, who was the first one to be nominated for Best Director. Uh, I believe also uh who was it? Lee Daniels for Precious. Um, then of course Steve McQueen, uh Jordan Peel, and uh who who was the other one? Um Spike Lee, they have been nominated for best director. I'm pretty sure it's another one that I might have forgotten, but um, we've never had a best uh director for a black guy or black girl, just depending on it. And when I saw centers, I was like Ryan Kugler could be the first one. The issue is the movie came out in April. Um, and I feel like even if like one battle after another and center switch like uh release spots, I think like the outcome would still be the same. I think uh PTA would probably get the best director win. The thing is that like PTA hasn't won. He's been nominated multiple times. At this point, he'll be like nominated 12 times if he gets a writing, directing, and producing a nomination for one bad after another. Same thing with Ryan Kugler for writing, directing, and producing for Sinners. It's like it it's conflicting for me. You know? Because you can chance in uh 2026. 2026 we got the Odyssey, we got Doom Part 3. Um I forgot what the name of the movie was with Steven Spielberg, but we got that. So it's like you can't really rely on like the 99th in the night in the 100 Academy Awards to see if the black filmmaker is gonna win. Or you you get what I mean? Like you can't really chance that. This it to me it would be a now or never situation. But in the end like if if it doesn't happen, if Ryan Kugler doesn't win Best Director and it's Paul Thomas Anderson then I'm not gonna be upset about it because both um yeah PTA's been overdue but you know black filmmakers have been long overdue. You know there's there's two different narratives. There's the narrative of some of a great filmmaker who hasn't gotten an award yet and then there's the narrative of making history and you know it just depends what does the academy want more which narrative are they going to go for more but that's that's all me. To my point regardless I love centers and it's still my number one uh favorite film of 2025. The music is great. Um I'm surprised that the Golden Glow is it nominated for Best Motion Picture Drama which I think it should have been the best musical uh comedy uh not in it should be in the best musical comedy category but I think like they it would be too competitive with one battle after another it might win Hamnet which is another film that I have not seen Hamnet might uh take it um that's another Clojure film but um I don't know um maybe it could win it just depends on how the Golden Globes and the critics choice and the British Academy film and the screen act it just depends on how the precursors take it um because it it it just it it varies if it it all varies because I could see a universe where it's like PTA can win all his other awards in different in a different um precursors but then come Oscar Knight he ends up losing the best director award to Ryan Kugler. I can see it happen it might not I don't want to jinx it but that's also just me being hopeful but I hope PTA at least still gets just like the best screenplay win for PTA just doesn't feel right. Even like him winning best picture also wouldn't feel right. Like it has to be director you get what I mean like if it's a tie that would be a miracle but um descenders again the music is great uh I lied to you is such a great uh song I listened to a lot of the soundtrack within this past year I saw this movie three times in theaters and I loved it every time especially the scene with um I lied to you where like you get that one shot I mean again that could take best cinematography the woman uh autumn I keep forgetting her last name she could be the first female cinematographer to win that award everything just varies but um the production design is great the storytelling is great Ryan Kugler I believe will win the best original screenplay like I have no doubt in my mind um everything else is such a great phenomenon the acting from Michael B. Jordan playing two roles um Miles Catton Haley Steinfeld uh Womie Masako um Jack O'Connell Delroy Lindo everybody's just phenomenal in this film um and the lore is so captivating um it's just great um the ending scene um it just gets to you how it's like it's basically like Dami gets old but the music still stays with him and still feels the same. Oh man and then Jack O'Connell's performance as a rem remick uh I know I said remnik in the in a previous episode but uh it's Remek of course um his performance is great I wouldn't be surprised if they surprised him for best supporting he hasn't been competing but if he got a best supporting actor nomination surprise I would be out of my seat. Same thing with Womie Masako um I would love to see both of them it might not happen and I wouldn't be too mad about it either because um this year it's just been very competitive for like the supporting categories. I know Michael B. Jordan's gonna get the best actor nomination and yeah I mean P it's it's such a great film. Um I I really enjoy it. Um it's one of my favorite films of the t of the 2020s um probably number three uh because my top two films both are my top two for uh 2023 which is Godzilla minus one and Oppenheimer but I'm definitely gonna be talking about sinners a lot because of the uh you know the awards are happening and when I talk about the Oscars after it's over definitely talking a lot about sinners um and probably one battle after another but sinners is always gonna be my favorite of this year um just the action is great the suspense is great performances are great the lore the effects the makeup the the the costume design the production design the editing the sound everything about this movie is great and I hope it even gets the best casting I hope it wins the best casting award um because everybody works well together but yes so rounding it all off um number five k-pop demon hunters number four f1 number three mardi supreme number two weapons and my number one is sinners those are my top five maybe next year I get to do a top ten but as always you guys have a great night day morning whenever you're listening to this signing off